The Palo Alto Vikings defeated the St. Francis Lancers, 39-23 at San Jose City College on Nov. 26.

Viking runningback Dre Hill (’12) opened up the game for Paly with an eight-yard run after a short kickoff return from receiver B.J. Boyd (’12). The drive, however, was cut short when Hill fumbled on the next play. St. Francis recovered the ball on the Vikings’ 35 yard line.

In a good field position, the Lancers’ running back Durell Crooks (’12) started off the attack with eight yards on two carries. Quarterback Colin Johnson (’12) then connected with his receiver Charlie Clark (’13) for a gain of three yards before Crooks pounded in the ball for a 7-0 lead for the Lancers.

Hill answered the Lancers with a 26-yard run to kickoff another Viking drive. Viking quarterback Keller Chryst (’14) then found Jayshawn Gates-Mouton for 13 yards. A steady drive downfield with solid running from Hill and fellow running back Morris Gates-Mouton (’12) brought the Vikings into the redzone, before Chryst found J. Gates-Mouton for an eight yard touchdown. The point after however, was blocked by the Lancer defense, leaving Paly with a 6-7 deficit.

Paly followed up on defense, forcing the Lancers to punt on fourth down. Morris Mouton ran 16 yards, followed by two passes from Chryst to De’Antay Williams (’13) for 42 yards. Chryst capped off the drive with a goal line touchdown from the one yard line. St. Francis began to lose its rhythm throughout the rest of the quarter, going three-and-out once again, and punting back to the Vikings. Chryst picked up Boyd and J. Gates-Mouton for 16 and 14 yards respectively. A timeout by either team was followed by an eight yard  pass to Hill, who set up the next play for M. Gates-Mouton, who scored, to give a 20-7 lead to the Vikings.

Solid defense from Viking defensive back Matt Tolbert (’13) and a sack from defensive tackle Nathan Hubbard (’12), forced the Lancers to punt with a minute and 35 seconds left in the half. Tight end Austin Braff (’12) snatched two balls from Chryst, gaining 20 yards on each catch and bringing the Vikings into Lancer territory. Chryst found Boyd and J. Gates-Mouton for seven yards each as Paly receiver Gabe Landa (’12) received the ball for a reverse. Landa was fouled on the play, stopping the game with four an three-tenth seconds to go. As time expired, Chryst found Braff once again to put his team further ahead, carrying a 27-7 lead into the half. Chryst finished the game 16-20 passing with two thrown touchdowns and one run touchdown. Chryst, who earlier in the season suffered discomfort in his ankle, was more accurate than in past games, credits his success to a strong week of practice over the Thanksgiving break.

“It feels pretty good,”Chryst said. “We worked hard all week and came out with the win, we had good team effort, tackled as a team and for the most part didn’t let them get any deep runs.”

Chryst continued his hot streak into the third quarter, connecting with Boyd on the long ball for a 50 yard touchdown, his second of the night and a 33-7 lead after a missed PAT. The Lancers were able to get back on the board as Crooks ran downfield for a 54 yard touchdown which was followed by an errant snap for the Vikings and an extra two points for the safety. The Vikings led 33-16. Boyd, a former student from St. Francis, played with the Lancers three years ago.

“I feel good about the win,”  Boyd said.  “I used to be at that school freshman year and it’s a pleasure to beat them, I already kind of knew the players and what they can do.”

Halfway through the fourth quarter, Chryst found Hill for another touchdown, to bring the lead to 39-16. Viking linebacker Erik Anderson (’13) sealed the victory with back-to-back sacks, forcing the Lancers to punt. Crooks would score again to end the game on a 54 yard touchdown, but the Vikings walked away with a 39-23 victory.

Bellarmine College Prep downed the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs on Friday night and will face the Vikings in the final round of Central Coast Sectionals (CCS), to avenge their 35-0 loss in last years’ semi-finals. The two teams will play next Friday at 8 p.m. at San Jose City College.

Revised version as of 4:29 p.m. Nov. 28.